Roller skate construction



Sept. 1967 J. F. HAMLIN 3,339,936

ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 1, 1965 Jerome Ff Hamlin IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,339,936 ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION Jerome F. Hamlin, 158 E. 66th St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed Apr. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 444,570 11 Claims. (Cl. 280-111} This invention relates to significantly new and useful improvements in a two-wheeled tandem-type roller skate, more particularly, a skate which embodies a self-contained boot-like shoe similar to the type embodied in and constituting a component of an ice skate.

The skate, or roller shoe, herein disclosed is characterized by features not present in roller skates as generally known and is now feasible as a result of currently known and acceptable developments in metal alloys. To the ends desired, each skate has but two wheels which are oriented and coordinate in a manner similar to the usual front and rear wheels embodied in a bicycle. The wheels employed herein are slightly larger than rollers or wheels employed in a conventional type roller skate and, for best results, are molded from semi-soft resilient material and have rounded traction surfaces or treads. This increased Wheel or roller diameter, the material utilized and twin wheels which are alike contribute to :a skate which achieves smooth performance and behaviour and the over-all improved results desired.

Further, the utilization of a unique one-piece frame unit provided with a permanently attached shoe achieves a dynamics of skating involved when, for example, the skater is on ice skates. This is to say, the same leg action for forward and backward skating is used, and banking turns can be accomplished in the same manner with the body and skates functioning at a pitched angle to the surface traversed. Accordingly, the skate or roller shoe herein under advisement can be maneuvered deftly and skillfully with dependable equilibrium and safeguarded balance.

In addition to the novel wheel assembling and coordinating frame means with the attached shoe, the skate revealed introduces an innovation; namely, a simple, practical and efficient brake device which is brought into play and is activated by weight distribution which allows the skater to retard or completely arrest the motion of the rear wheel without requiring unreliable drag friction contact with the ground or other surface. Then, too, novelty is predicated on self contained shock absorbing means which renders the braking action aptly possible, is designed to absorb the energy of sudden impacts or of abrupt force applied techniques and changing mannerisms, and makes possible sensitive controllability of the built-in braking action.

More specifically, the concept has to do with a onepiece frame embodying an elongated shoe basing and supporting plate, a complemental elongated substantially L- shaped arm underlying said plate, said arm having a forward end integrally joined with an oriented forward end portion of said plate and a rearward end, said rearward end portion being free and terminating inwardly and forwardly of the rearward end of said plate, a first wheel mounted for free rotation on said forward end, a second companion wheel like and aligned with said first wheel and mounted for free rotation on the free rearward end of said arm, and adjustable spring-loaded shock absorbing and plate adjusting means carried by and interposed between median portions of said arm and plate, respectively. The skate also embodies an aptly suitable skaters shoe or boot having a bottoming sole which is superimposed flatwise atop and affixed to said plate.

These together with other objects and advantages Which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of "ice construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a. roller skate constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation observing the side of the skate opposite to that seen in FIGURE 1, that is, in a direction from right to left.

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view.

FIGURE 4 is a front end elevation.

FIGURE 5 is a view in side elevation like FIGURE 2 but showing the manner in which the brake is applied.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view in section and elevation detailing the shock absorbing and brake sensitivity regulating means.

By way of introduction it is to be pointed out that a single roller skate construction is shown in the views of the drawing. However, and as basically construed, both left and right skates are the same in construction and a description of one will sufiice for both.

Referring now to the views it will be noted that the primary support unit comprises frame means, more particularly, a one-piece frame structure which is characterized by an elongated flat-faced plate 8 which is generally ovate in plan as shown in FIGURE 3. This plate constitutes the upper component of the frame unit or means 10. The latter means is made of appropriate metal. The arm unit is substantially L-shaped in side elevation and comprises the arm proper '12 which underlies the plate 8 in downwardly spaced relationship and is of a length less than the length of the plate. This arm is joined at its forward or leading end to a rearwardly downwardly directed connecting brace 14 whose upper end is offset and joined with the underneath side of the plate 8 at a suitable point between the respective longitudinal edges of the plate. The leading or forward half portion 16 of the arm is inclined upwardly and rearwardly and is joined with the median generally flat portion 18 which has a vertical screwthreaded hole extending therethrough as denoted at 20 (FIG. 6) and functions in part as a nut as will be hereinafter pointed out. The rearward half portion 22 of the arm inclines rearwardly and downwardly and terminates in a free end portion 24 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5. As thus constructed this rigidly bracketed arm 12 provides supporting and suspension means for the companion duplicate forward and rearward rollers or wheels 26 and 28. Suitable axles 30 and 32 serve to rotatably and freely journal the hub portions of the two wheels thereon. These wheels may be of one-piece construction as suggested and are larger in diameter than ordinary roller skate wheels. They are made from suitable semi-soft resilient material such as is used in the construction of pneumatic tires. The tread or traction portion of each wheel is rounded as denoted at 34 in FIG. 4. The utilization of two wheels in tandem or bicycle arrangement leads to a dynamics of skating analogous to that used in the construction of ice skates. It follows that the same leg action for forward and backward skating is capable of being used and banking turns are made in the same manner with the whole body and skates set at an angle to the surface traversed.

A highly important feature resides in the adoption and use of a boot-like shoe 36 having a fiat bottoming sole 38 which is superimposed upon and fixedly attached to the top surface of the aforementioned plate 8. The upper of the shoe is denoted at 40 and features, if desired, Velcro fasteners comprising a plurality of tongues 42 and cooperating retainers 44 therefor.

The novel braking means comprises a friction brake pad 46 which is fixedly secured to the underneath side of the trailing or rearward end portion of the plate 8 as 3 shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5. This friction braking member 46 is directly above the tread of the rear wheel 28 and is adapted to forcibly press against the tread of the wheel in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 5 to achieve the retarding and arresting as well as braking action.

The shock absorbing means is interposed as shown between the median portion of the plate 8 and corresponding median portion 18 of the beam or arm 16 and is denoted as an entity by the numeral 48 in FIGURE 6. It comprises an upper cylinder 50 which is fixed to and depends from the bottom side of the plate and a companion cylinder 52 which is fixed to and rises vertically from the flattened portion 18 and is fitted telescopically into the upper or outer cylinder 50. A coil spring 54 of requisite size and tension is confined in these coacting cylinders. The aformentioned nut 20 (FIG. 6) serves to accommodate the spring tensioning and relaxing means which comprises a screwthreaded shank 56 threaded through the nut 20 and provided on its lower accessible end with a suitably milled or knurled fingergrip 58 and which is provided on its upper end with a disk-like end thrust head 60 which is operable slidingly in the cylinder 52. This means comprises not only a shock absorber but also a conveniently actuatable manual device for controlling the sensitivity of the friction brake pad 46. This simple braking device is activated by weight distribution by tilting the skate rearwardly as suggested in FIGURE 5 enabling the skater to brake himself without having drag friction contact with the ground or other surface. It follows also that the braking wheel is one of the two functional wheels of the skate and is activated by the application of weight to the rear and not by pivoting the skate on its rear wheel.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifiactions and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A two-wheeled tandem-type roller skate comprising, in combination, frame means embodying an elongated support plate, a single pair of companion leading and trailing traction wheels oriented and arranged in tandem alignment and balanced and suspended by cooperative platesupported arm means for free rotation beneath coordinating forward and rearward portions, respectively, of said plate, a boot-type shoe fixed atop said plate and constituting a component of the over-all skate, said plate being flat and rigid, said shoe resembling and being structurally comparable with a shoe of the type used on and in conjunction with a conventional-type ice skate and having a flat sole portion superimposed on and affixed flatwise atop said plate, the rearward underneath side of said plate being provided with a friction brake pad oriented with and situated above and normally spaced from the tread of said trailing traction wheel but capable of being forcibly pressed by the skater while in motion into frictional contact with said tread to achieve the desired retarding and arresting control for said wheel, and, in combination, shock absorbing and brake action adjusting means operatively interposed between a median underneath portion of said plate and a corresponding median portion of said wheel balancing and suspending arm means.

2. The structure according to claim 1, and wherein said shock absorbing means embodies telescopically interconnected cylinders, resilient cushioning media, and manually regulatable tensioning and relaxing means for said cushioning media.

3. The structure according to claim 1, and wherein said shock absorbing and brake action adjusting means embodies a pair of aligned telescoping cylinders, a coil spring enclosed and confined in said cylinders, and a jackscrew adjustably mounted and having a spring tensioning and relaxing head reciprocable in the cylinders and having end thrust engagement with said spring.

4. A tandem-type two-wheeled roller skate comprising, in combination, a one-piece frame embodying an elongated shoe basing and supporting plate, a complemental elongated arm spaced below and underlying said plate, said arm having (A) a forward end integrally joined with an oriented forward end portion of said plate and (B) a rearward end, said rearward end being free and terminating inwardly and forwardly of the rearward end portion of said plate, a forward wheel mounted for free rotation on said forward end, a rearward companion wheel like and aligned with said forward wheel and mounted for free rotation on the free rearward end of said arm, and adjustable spring-loaded shock absorbing and arm adjusting means carried by and interposed between median portions of said arm and plate, respectively.

5. The structure according to claim 4, and, in combination, a skaters shoe having a bottoming sole superimposed upon and fixed fiatwise atop said plate.

6. The structure defined in claim 5, and wherein said arm is generally L-shaped in side elevation.

7. The structure according to claim 6, and, in combination, a friction brake pad oriented with and situated above and normally spaced from the tread of the rearward wheel but capable of being forcibly pressed by the skater while in motion into frictional contact with said tread to achieve the desired retarding and arresting control for said rearward wheel.

8. The structure according to claim 7, and wherein said shock absorbing means embodies a pair of aligned telescoping cylinders, a coil spring enclosed and confined in said cylinders, and a jackscrew adjustably mounted and having a spring tensioning and relaxing head reciprocable in the cylinders and having end thrust engagement with said spring.

9. A tandem-type two-wheeled roller skate comprising a one-piece frame embodying an elongated shoe basing and supporting plate, a complemental elongated arm spaced below and underlying said plate, said arm having a forward end integrally joined with an oriented forward end portion of said plate and a rearward end, said rearward end portion being free and terminating inwardly and forwardly of the rearward end of said plate, a first wheel mounted for free rotation on said forward end, a second companion wheel like and aligned with said first wheel and mounted for free rotation on the free rearward end of said arm, shock absorbing and plate-action control means embodying a first cylinder affixed to and depending at right angles below a median part of the bottom side of said plate, a second cylinder fixed atop a median portion of said arm at right angles to the long axis thereof and telescoping upwardly into said first cylinder, that portion of the arm to which said second cylinder is affixed having a screw-threaded hole aligned therewith, an adjusting screw threaded through said hole and having an exposed lower end provided with a finger-grip and an upper end provided with a thrust head reciprocable in said second cylinder, and a coil spring confined in said cylinders and abutting said plate and head, respectively.

10. The structure according to claim 9, and, in combination, a skaters shoe having a bottoming sole superimposed upon and fixed atop said plate, said arm being generally L-shaped in side elevation, and in combination, a friction brake pad oriented, coordinated with and situated above and normally spaced from the tread of said second wheel but capable of being forcibly pressed by the skater while in motion into frictional contact with said tread to achieve the desired retarding and arresting control for said second wheel.

11. A tandem-type twin roller skate of the class described comprising, in combination, a one-piece frame embodying an elongated shoe basing plate substantially ovate in top plan and having fiat top and bottom surfaces,

a skaters shoe having a fiat bottoming sole superimposed and fixed fiatwise atop said plate, an elongated arm substantially commensurate in length with the length of said plate, said arm being generally L-shaped in side elevation and having an oblique angled upwardly directed forward end portion jointed to a median underneath side of the bottom of said plate and an elongated rearwardly extending portion spaced below, underlying said plate and having a free rearward end portion terminating inwardly and forwardly of the coacting rearward end of said plate, a forward skate roller mounted for free rotation on a forward end portion of said arm with its tread spaced a prescribed distance below the bottom of said plate, a complemental rearward skate roller like said forward skate roller and aligned with said forward roller and mounted for free rotation on the terminal rearward end portion of said arm, a friction brake pad fixed to a rearward end portion of the bottom of said plate and oriented with and situated above and normally spaced from the tread of said rearward roller, and means for adjusting said rear roller toward and from said pad, said means embodying an adjusting screw having a finger grip accessible at a lower end thereof beneath said arm and having a median portion adjustably threaded through a screw threaded hole provided in the median portion of said arm, and means connecting the upper end of said adjusting screw to a median underneath surface of the bottom of said plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,278 12/1885 Nelson et al. 2801 1.23 1,616,952 2/1927 Dahl 280-11.28 2,559,118 7/1951 Foran 28011.23

FOREIGN PATENTS 52,982 4/1912 Austria.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. MILTON L. SMITH, Examiner. 

1. A TWO-WHEELED TANDEM-TYPE ROLLER SKATE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FRAME MEANS EMBODYING AN ELONGATED SUPPORT PLATE, A SINGLE PAIR OF COMPANION LEADING AND TRAILING TRACTION WHEELS ORIENTED AND ARRANGED IN TANDEM ALIGNMENT AND BALANCED AND SUSPENDED BY COOPERATIVE PLATESUPPORTED ARM MEANS FOR FREE ROTATION BENEATH COORDINATING FORWARD AND REARWARD PORTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID PLATE, A BOOT-TYPE SHOE FIXED ATOP SAID PLATE AND CONSTITUTING A COMPONENT OF THE OVER-ALL SKATE, SAID PLATE BEING FLAT AND RIGID, SAID SHOE RESEMBLING AND BEING STRUCTURALLY COMPARABLE WITH A SHOE OF THE TYPE USED ON THE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CONVENTIONAL-TYPE ICE SKATE AND HAVING A FLAT SOLE PORTION SUPERIMPOSED ON AND AFFIXED FLATWISE ATOP SAID PLATE, THE REARWARD UNDERNEATH SIDE OF SAID PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH A FRICTION BRAKE PAD ORIENTED WITH AND SITUATED ABOVE AND NORMALLY SPACED FROM THE TREAD OF SAID TRAILING TRACTION WHEEL BUT CAPABLE OF BEING FORCIBLY PRESSED BY THE SKATER WHILE IN MOTION INTO FRICTIONAL CONTACT WITH SAID TREAD TO ACHIEVE AND DESIRED RETARDING AND ARRESTING CONTROL FOR SAID WHEEL, AND, IN COMBINATION, SHOCK ABSORBING AND BRAKE ACTION ADJUSTING MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERPOSED BETWEEN A MEDIAN UNDERNEATH PORTION OF SAID PLATE AND A CORRESPONDING MEDIAN PORTION OF SAID WHEEL BALANCING AND SUSPENDING ARM MEANS. 